Inside the small village of Cordovado, Se Son Rose is a café with a concept store inspired by the charm of Damask Roses, a flower that has been the protagonist of the history of this enchanted place for centuries.
Listed among the most beautiful medieval towns in Italy, Cordovado is enclosed within the walls of the ancient castle, built on the remains of a Roman castrum placed to guard a ford of the Via Augusta. In the 18th century, the property passed to the family of the Freschi di Cucanea counts and, in particular, during the 19th century to Gherardo, an intellectual and famous agronomist, and to his brother Sigismondo, an alchemy scholar and musician.
It is to them that we owe the creation of the beautiful park, which still surrounds the seventeenth-century villa built on the ancient ruins of the castle, and in particular to Carlotta, wife of Antonio son of Sigismondo, the birth of the rose garden that gave life to the Se Son Rose project.
The scent of roses has always accompanied, over the centuries, the days of the illustrious people who lived here, a mysterious lady, an enlightened agronomist, an extraordinary violinist; it is their legacy that we wanted to pass on with Se Son Rose.
Later the estate was inherited by the Piccolomini Clementini Adami family, from the Sienese family who gave the church two popes, who still live on the property today, guardians of its history and ancient traditions. In 2015 Benedetta Piccolomini decided to give new life to the ancient rose garden and created the splendid Labyrinth of Damask Roses according to Rudolph Steiner’s principles of biodynamic agriculture.
From these flowers was born a line of cosmetics and home fragrances inspired by the rose gardens of the Castle of Cordovado and prepared with ingredients coming, where possible, from certified organic crops, according to ancient recipes that have come down to us through a laborious and skilful process of improvement.
It is initially to satisfy the growing demand for these products that in 2016 opens, right in front of the Villa, Se Son Rose, a small café with a concept store managed, with the love with which a garden is cared for, by Hamid Ghoulam, part of the project since its conception.
Created in the premises of an ancient family residence, Se Son Rose retains its charm and furnishings: the bar is, in fact, located in the old kitchen with fireplace, while the store is located in the former dining room among ancient bookcases and rocking clocks.
Everything is inspired by the world of roses. Here you can, in fact, buy the essences for the environment, 4 different delicious fragrances inspired by the seasons, and the Se Son Rose products for the body and face, all based on Damask Rose Water, Aqueous Extract of Damask Rose Buds, Aloe Vera juice, Shea butter, Prickly pear seed oil, a rare and precious ingredient, Rosehip and Rosa Mosqueta oils.
Even the drinks are inspired by this flower: unmissable, in fact, the Rose Aperitif, available both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, created by Hamid on the basis of a secret recipe that no one seems to have managed to reveal yet.
In addition to the Se Son Rose line, Hamid has selected other traditional products of the place such as Friulian slippers which are found here in all colors, bags, cushions and many other objects that you can have fun buying surrounded by the works of art of local artists who take turns on display in the venue.
Having breakfast among the flowers of the outdoor terrace, immersed in the quiet of this millenary village, is truly a unique experience.
The Secret
Carlo, the son of Antonio and Carlotta, was a diplomat at the sultan’s court in Constantinople in the early 1900s. Here he had a rose oil with a particular bouquet created for his fiancé in the local artisan shops, the composition of which inspired the current Se Son Rose product line.
Useful Info
Se Son Rose
Via Castello 14
33075 Cordovado, Pordenone
Tel. +39 392 0205505
For info on visits to the Villa and the Park
Castello di Cordovado
